Quilt Show Countdown: Hang 'Em High!

Quilt Show week: Tuesday
On Monday the convention center's main display room was set with "Pipe & Drapes" in preparation for the quilts' delivery.
Early this morning the quilts were set out, snug in their bags, at the place each would be hung.
This is how the room looked when I arrived:
It's a big space to fill, but like magic it gets more colorful as the quilts go up and the various areas receive their tables, chairs and other equipment.

By the time the Preview Party starts tomorrow, this area will have all the Quilters' Walk baskets (more on that later!), the show's official booth, and the member guilds' raffle quilts all on display.

The exciting news this year is a new hanging system!
Gone are the long aluminum poles that had to be selected to match the width of the quilt, and the hooks & chains that suspended the poles from the pipe.
Goodbye to the step stools and ladders, and the many trips up & down to get the quilts hanging at the proper level!

The new system uses a pole that is like a curtain rod. Sections can be put together to make the needed width. A small hook goes into the slotted back of the pole, one on each end, catching the fabric of the hanging sleeve, and a third in the center for those giant bed-size quilts. The hooks are attached to a "lanyard", an adjustable cord with a large hook at the top to go over the pipe.
A person at each side of the quilt uses a rod to lift the hook/ pole/quilt up to the pipe, and ...ta da!...the quilt is now hanging! The lanyards can be adjusted if needed to get the quilt at the right distance from the top or floor.
The pieces were all set out for each quilt, and we worked our way along each aisle, first spreading out the white sheet, then taking the quilt out of its bag.

One team would get the quilt ready. Here you can see the pole in the sleeve. Then another team came along and used their rods to lift the quilts up onto the pipes.

All the bags, with their numbered tags attached, are kept during the show, sorted by category number into laundry baskets. This makes it easy to match each quilt to its bag before the show comes down.

The large and intermediate size quilts go up fairly easily, but those small and miniature quilts take a long time to hang! There is quite a lot of fussing to get them pinned and arranged in a pleasing way. We can take a look at that during the show.
I am very grateful to the people who have who have the patience for that job!

Meanwhile, here is the row where the winning quilts are hung, separating the main show (black drapes) from the merchants' area (white drapes).

Best of Show formerly has hung on a special stand at the front of the show, but this year it will be in the center of the "winners' row". The light is actually better there, so it's a good move.
Where is it? You'll have to wait until tomorrow night after the Preview Party when I post again!
But even though I will have lots to show & tell, I promise I won't make you wait to see it.